


A Time For A Yes, a Time For A Hell No

by Corde_And_Dorme



Series: "That's it, we're out." [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: :D, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Obi-Wan leaves the order, Set during Episode "Deception" I think?, The Rako Hareen episode arc, and Obi-wan goes D:, and Obi-wan is like aight, and the Council goes yeah not really, and the council is like Obi-wan don't be like this boo, and then he's like ughhhhh, and then you gotta read to find out Obi-wan's reaction, basically Obi-wan is like, but then the Council is like we tots got Anakin doing something, its not what you think, no, then the council is like but, this is stupid council, we're gonna fuck with his emotions!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 02:19:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11750025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corde_And_Dorme/pseuds/Corde_And_Dorme
Summary: The Council comes to him with a stupid, asinine plan that will only work if Anakin is in on it. Only to tell them that Anakin isn't going to be in on it.That's the moment Obi-wan decides he's had enough.[Prequel to my story "Go on, Go! Walk out that door" or 'The Scene' that started it all]





	A Time For A Yes, a Time For A Hell No

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah. This is the scene that set up my story "Go on, go! Walk out that door!" and it's kind of a little present for everyone waiting for an update (that I still don't have, still writing here, but I am burn from vacay so I may get some good writing done tomorrow :) )  
> It's Obi-wan and some of his thoughts that leads to him just turning and about-facing away from the Council to walk, walk, walk away!  
> Enjoy!

It was silent in the Council chambers as Mace Windu and Yoda stared at him, waiting for him to respond to their plan. The other council members non-entities as far as Obi-wan was concerned. Obi-wan was still decidedly in something that was like shock, something that was like disbelief.

“You want me... to fake my death,” Obi-wan asked again, this time slowly, over-pronouncing.

Mace nodded. Yoda said, “Yes, hmm.”

With a sigh that could have cracked a glacier Obi-wan ran a hand down his face, stroking his beard as he crossed his other arm. The idea, while completely batshit crazy, had merit. Who the hell would think that Obi-wan would fake his own death just to put on the face of a Bounty Hunter to try and join with another group of Bounty Hunters - all for the sake of Intel? Intel on the kidnapping, or lack thereof, of the Chancellor.

“How’s this supposed to work?” Obi-wan found himself asking. Feeling bone-deep tired, a little pissy, and a whole lot of anger that he resolutely pushed away, but willing to do just about anything to end this stupid war.

Mace explained.

“At nine tomorrow morning, you will be shot by the Bounty Hunter Rako Hardeen and plummet to your death. The combination of the close blaster shot and the height of the building will be our best shot at convincing the public that you really are dead. Though, what will really sell your death will be Skywalkers reaction.”

Obi-wan smiled a polite relieved smile.

“Oh, Anakin is in on this too?”

That was good. If Anakin was already on board it would take considerably less energy to convince himself this wasn’t going to be a cluster-fuck, that they had a chance of pulling this off. Force, he was tired. He felt like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He needed to update Cody, at the very least, before agreeing to this harebrained scheme. It was as he was thinking that, feeling much better about the plan, that he noticed Mace and Yoda share a look.

Uh, oh. That was never good.

And it wasn’t.

“Skywalker, not to know, is he,” Yoda said, cracking his cane against the floor. “Hmm,”

Obi-wan stared first at Yoda. Then turned his attention to Mace. Then back to Yoda.

He felt his brain fizzle. He was so exhausted, too tired, and this seemed to short-circuit him. Still, there was a reason he was given the title The Negotiator, and even as caught off guard as he was he didn’t give away a single thought to the two in front of him.

Not a single one of his roiling, boiling, thoughts.

Not a single one of his thoughts that went a little like this: _Really? Our feelings are expendable now? Of course, they are. Not just feelings, either, but relationships. Relationships that fucking makes or breaks this war and battles. To be used and abused as you see fit? This is what’s going to make Anakin trust the Order completely? Lying and betraying and throwing him to the side just so we can get an honest reaction out of him? Fucking hell, Mace, you complete and utter idiot. My Padawan will figure it out eventually. I will be the one to deal with the fucking fall out. Who the fuck pissed in your cereal when you were a child? Huh? Was it Yoda? No, better yet, why the fuck was the entire Council agreeing to this as if nothing was going to happen as if nothing terrible would come of this. Anakin was one person, sure, but he was still a person and didn’t deserve to be treated this way - FUCK._

Obi-wan wasn’t blind to his Padawan’s faults. He had just as many, after all. But if Obi-wan knew one thing about his Padawan it was this: Obi-wan betraying the trust he had so painstakingly garnered from Anakin, after years and years of love and attention, would never, **ever** be given the chance to earn back. Anakin could hold grudges like a Hutt.

This is what the Council was unknowingly asking him to do. It was a choice between the world or Anakin.

It _always_ was the world versus Anakin. Nearly every time, Anakin had lost.

 _Force_. He was sick of Anakin always losing.

“...Let me get this straight.” Obi-wan said, voice steel. “You want me to die. Pretend, of course, because dying would honestly be the better option than actually going through with this - pretend to be dead, yes. Take on the identity of a bounty hunter just so I can get to know _other_ bounty hunters, so I can make my way to Serenno, to ally myself with Dooku, to find out the plot to kidnap the chancellor, all while my former Padawan believes that I am dead.”

Mace didn’t even blink.

“Yes.”

Obi-wan stared at him for a single, solitary second.

There was a time when Obi-wan would have followed the Council's directives to the letter, knowing it was for the best - but this was not one of those times. There was a time when he wouldn’t have asked; he would have done. That was before he had fought in countless battles, often making split-second decisions between following the Council and disobeying them that made or broke the fight. In fact, every single order that seemed to come from the Council he had argued about it, lost the battle and was forced into the minority as everyone cast their thoughts and he was outvoted. And every decision brought them farther and farther away from their goal: the end of the war.

Obi-wan had had enough.

 _Fuck. You_. He thought, feeling the weight of the world lift from his shoulders.

This was going to be forever, wasn’t it? This... this circus, of the Council putting forward everyone else, thinking about every single other person in the galaxy and sacrificing him and Anakin. They were just... expendable. Weren’t they?

Obi-wan had been fine with that for too, long. Mostly because he had assumed, wrongly he knew now, that Mace and Yoda and the Council at large didn't understand that he knew. He had given and given and given; the Council had taken and taken and taken and taken.

There was nothing left to give, Obi-wan just wanted to shout.

How had Obi-wan never realized?

He was startled to realize he had. Of course, he had. He wasn’t a simpleton. But he had just kept pushing back on that knowledge, shoving it away, far away, to think on another day. On another day when he wasn’t exhausted, or beaten black and blue; on a day when he hadn’t just lost twenty men to a single land-mine while the opposition used fucking droids rather than living, breathing people; on another day when he could sit and meditate and the Force would allow him some peace and quiet.

And Obi-wan realized, that day was not coming. The war would never end, not really. Their days as peacekeepers was over. Gone. Dust.

He didn’t know when it happened, but Obi-wan felt as connected to the Jedi Order as he had his own parents. Like they were strangers circling the same space, trying to hold onto a connection that was thinning - and it had just snapped.

What really sold it, was when he felt the Force nudged him and blinking he looked within to see the truth glaring at him. That the Council, the Jedi, were just one big black spot, a giant hole in the universe sucking in all the bad, bad, bad. It was unsustainable.

 _We have to leave,_ Obi-wan thought, devastated. _We have to leave the Order._

Those words were treason of the highest order, yet, Obi-wan had never felt so at peace with a decision. Not even when he’d briefly left the Order, abandoned his Master and his Oaths, to protect his friends, a bunch of young insurrectionists just trying to make the best of a horrible situation their parents had left them. It was just like that, except this time, the world was the planet and his friends was the galaxy. And Obi-wan could only see their ruin from here on out.

Feeling at peace, Obi-wan felt a nudge from the Force. As close to a blessing as he was ever going to get, he steeled himself for what he was about to do. Do, there is no try. And right now, there is no looking back.

“Hmm,” Obi-wan said, giving nothing away, as he turned on his heel and walking out.

If the Council was shocked, Obi-wan certainly didn’t stick around to find out.


End file.
